Abstract: At the early stage of MCFC operation, the porous Ni-based cathode subjected to the load of cell stack may deteriorate
in the process of its transformation to the working lithiated NiO cathode, which will result in the potential damage to the cell performance and
lifetime. In this study, a home-made LVDT displacement-measuring system was set up and applied in in situ deformation experiments. The deformation
behaviors of porous NiO and Ni plaques were investigated under the simulating conditions of MCFC operation. The experimental results
indicate that the porous nickel deforms most severely when it is in situ oxidized and lithiated under loading. However, under the same
conditions the deformation of porous nickel which is pre-lithiated and oxidized before a load is applied is much less. In contrast,
the in situ deformation of the porous nickel oxide is not significant as a whole.

Key words: molten carbonate electrolyte, porous nickel, deform, oxidization, lithiation, porous nickel oxide